Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent, with Rutger Bregman

The brightest minds of our generation might dream of changing the world. But in reality most high achievers settle for making a lot of money for themselves and their family. World renowned historian and bestselling author Rutger Bregman is on a mission to change that.

This April, Bregman comes to Edinburgh to convince us that in our age of multicrisis we need to stop wasting our talent in jobs that provide little more than personal enrichment. Instead, if we want to live a meaningful life, we must pursue careers and hobbies that are morally ambitious.

Bregman will argue that throughout history the greatest change-makers have needed to be both idealistic and ambitious. Drawing from his new book Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference, he will discuss why efforts to "raise awareness" of social problems are overrated. He will uncover what he believes are the real qualities that have made change possible. And he will tell the stories of some of history's great changemakers such as the German soldier who refused to salute Hitler or the Cambridge University student who dedicated his life to abolishing slavery.

Bregman will explain what made these changemakers so persuasive, influential and effective in achieving their goals. He will show how we, too, can lend our talents to the biggest challenges of our time. With moral ambition he will argue, we can do more than be on the right side of history: we can start to make history itself.

Join Bregman live this April. Hear the arguments. And ask your questions.

'Clear, brave, important and provocative'  RORY STEWART

'The rare read that might actually help you become a better person' ADAM GRANT

'A fierce and brilliant call to arms for anyone who has been wondering whether there's more to life. (There is.)' TIM HARFORD

'Moral Ambition is a call to action for humanity to reevaluate our paradigms of success and impact in the world' - TREVOR NOAH